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As the big day draws near again it is time for we ZATU bloggers to share our gaming thoughts on Christmases' Past, Present and Yet to come. Family festive fun with all the cornucopia of creations from the modern world of gaming as well as time-honoured traditional treasures that resurface around the Christmas table.
Read on and enjoy!
A Child's Christmas in Wales – Pete Bartlam
“One Christmas was so much like another in those years around the sea-town corner … All the Christmases roll down toward the two-tongued sea, like a cold and headlong moon bundling down the sky that was our street … and I plunge my hand in the snow and bring out whatever I can find.”
Christmas in Llandudno in the late ‘50s and ‘60s wasn’t quite like Dylan Thomas’ small town memories but it was close enough to get me thinking of my Christmas game time then and now.
I’d had board games ever since I’d saved enough pennies and threepenny bits in an old tin until I could buy my own Monopoly (ikr!) and each Christmas would usually see something arrive out of the Waddington’s collection:- Cluedo, Careers, Buccaneer, Railroader et al and after our big Christmas dinner I could usually persuade some of the collected Aunts, Uncles, Parents and Grand Parents to play. To be honest the men folk would retire to the other room to smoke and snore whilst I would teach my Auntie, Cousin, Nana and long-suffering Mum the delights of what Santa had bestowed.
I seem to remember Cluedo was popular and although my brother, 6 years my junior, was for a long time too young to join in we all had a great time assembling and playing his MouseTrap. Both still available today but I see that MouseTrap is now advertised as having an “easier set-up!”
Nowadays I’m going to be playing Camel Up! with my Games Club it’s such fun and so unpredictable and as you don’t personally own any of the camels but are just enjoying a day at the races there is no Take That nastiness. Maybe not snow and Santa but it is set in the land of the Nativity.
After Christmas dinner with my daughter, Lucia and son-in-law, Rikin we’ll play something light and engaging. Lucia likes Articulate, Linkee and Dixit or maybe Codenames. If I have my way we’ll get the Kazoos out and rasp away to Top of The Pops Party game. Not forgetting playing some of the excellent Orchard Toys games with our 3 year old granddaughter, Maya, like Incey-Wincey spider, First Numbers and Sneaky Shark (though you do end up singing Baby Shark!)
BTW Maya really likes punching out the counters from counter sheets. I’ll have to make sure I’ve got some new games for her to work on!
Merry Christmas.
Family & Friends Games at Christmas - Grace Naomi
Like many people, I have various traditions at Christmas - every Christmas Eve I look forward to opening and playing a new board game (my husband and I take it in turns to choose) whilst eating ‘mini-foods’ before heading to the Midnight Service at church to sing the Once in Royal David’s City solo, and then belt out all of the descants. This year I’ll be surprising my husband (shhh!) with an expansion to Oceans, which is his favourite game! Building up deep sea creatures and feeding off the reef or predating on opponent’s species is made even more enjoyable by the variety and depth the ‘deep’ cards give. What mysteries lurk in the dark depths…? I’ll also be playing Kavango (getting my money’s worth out of the beautiful deluxe version) as I seek to build the best Conservation zone - and I know it’s one I can play with my family without any rows or accusations of cheating! As we have a bit of a break over Christmas, I will try and persuade my gaming circle to sit in front of the fire for a longer game like my absolute favourite Ark Nova (building your own zoo, genuinely what could be better?!)
I’m also looking forward to playing a couple of new additions to our collection. Firstly, Harmonies - where you create and develop an ecosystem on your board. The artwork and wooden pieces which are stacked in patterns look amazing and I can’t wait to try it out! Plus, it literally fits in harmony with all my other animal themed boxes of board games (see picture above)! Secondly Mythwind - where you work together to achieve goals and reveal more of the story as you play. I’m really intrigued to see how this will work but hope it will be the type of game I can keep progressing both within my gaming circle and as a two-player version too.
As you can tell, like many of my fellow bloggers, Christmas will be spent relaxing and playing as many board games as I possibly can…with as many of my favourite people as I can!
I can’t wait!
Christmas Social - David Ireland
For as long as I can remember, playing games in some way has formed a part of my Christmas to a greater or lesser extent. Games bring the people you are closest to together.
When I was young, primary school age, I can remember Christmas mornings at my Grandparents house and waking up at 4am, but not being allowed to make noise or leave the room. My brothers and I would quietly go about setting a game of something. Games that stand out in my mind were Blood Bowl or Battletech TCG, it was the 90’s. Equally there were big family gatherings and after dinner, Balderdash may be cracked out or my father would lead me, my brothers and cousins in some massive multiplayer game whilst scrabble or upwords took place in the other room.
Roll on a few years and life radically changed, not in a good way at the time but my father, brothers and I went to a friends for Christmas. I remember Descent, Zombies by Twilight Creations and Catan featuring on the table top. We’re talking late 00’s here.
Moving in to the 2010’s and Christmasses returning to something more “traditional”, my girlfriend then (but now wife) would have a quiet game of something later in the day as we were not feeling the Christmas TV with her family. Our go to would often be Smash Up or Carcassonne.
Moving into the present, as parents of young children it is challenging during the day as they are full of excitement, and the day is all for them now and I love that. We still make time for a game in the evening as it is tradition. However this may be moving into another phase as I have picked Stomp the Plank, Dino SOS and Connect 4 for my eldest, but my youngest might just have a go also.
My Christmases have changed over the years, gaming has been and always will be an ever present. It just wouldn’t be Christmas otherwise.
Games Over the Holidays - Sophie Jones
The holiday season is here, and for me, that means one thing: board games galore! There’s just something magical about cosying up with a great game, surrounded by twinkling lights, and snacks aplenty. Here are the games I can’t wait to play this Christmas. First up, Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries. This one’s a Christmas classic in our house. Its snowy, wintry vibes make it feel perfect for the festive season, especially on chilly evenings when it’s just me and my partner. A cup of hot chocolate, a warm blanket, and the 15th Anniversary trains? Perfection. Next up is Splendor: Marvel, an absolute must when I’m visiting my nephew. It’s become a bit of a tradition to pair it with a Marvel movie marathon, with cards on the table, popcorn in hand, and superheroes saving the world in the background. The game is quick, simple, and so much fun (even if I always end up losing, much to his delight!).
Finally, Letters from Whitechapel. Not your typical festive game, but there’s something about this dark and tense deduction game that works on cold, wintry nights. The thrill of hunting Jack, or trying to outwit everyone as him, always adds a buzz of excitement round the table. The only problem? No one ever wants to be Jack; the pressure is real!
That’s my Christmas gaming lineup, though I’m hoping Santa might bring a few surprises too.
Christmas Games – Steve Conoboy
Christmas is the time when we play the games we wouldn’t normally bother with. You know what I mean, we do it to keep the family happy, but you wouldn’t look twice at them otherwise.
Like Soundilicious, when a rum-infused Nanna attempted to make a sound similar to a whale and ended up looking like a boggle-eyed pirate. Oh yeah, that was pretty damn funny, think I laughed until port burst out of my nostrils.
Or there’s Blankety Blank Takeaway Edition where the question was Pot blank and the other half wrote Hot on her board, making her answer Pot Hot instead of Hot Pot and have we forgotten it? No we have not. Pot Hot is not a thing. Well, it is if you’ve just picked up a boiling casserole dish and you need to get your point across quickly.
Or the Traitors, which almost resulted in the total destruction of trust within our family via the revelation that some of us (me) can act a hell of a lot cooler under pressure than others, and can almost get himself extradited from the fam. There was also a tower-building task that emptied all of our kitchen cupboards and needed a solid hour of tidying up.
Or Cranium, where the instruction to create a kebab out of a tub of plasticene resulted in something truly unholy. It still haunts me when I drift near a takeaway.
Hmm. Some good memories here. Perhaps we should play these games more often…
Christmas Gaming – Tim Evans
Christmas has always been a time for gaming in my home, and always a time for variety as well. I have fond memories of a regular “friendsmas” Monopoly game on Christmas Eve growing up, a cheeky post Christmas dinner poker game which became semi traditional at one point, and always the unwrapping of several new titles to explore on Christmas morning.
This year will be no exception. Already in the coming weeks my partner and I have several game nights with several friends planned (to fill the gaps between festive shopping!) where we hope to explore a few new titles along with old favourites. We have discovered several modern classics like Brass Birmingham in recent weeks, and are still in the process of sharing this with our groups who are, as yet, uninitiated. For groups of gaming enthusiasts living in and around the game’s setting, I can’t believe it took us all this long!
I am also excited that a friend of ours has proposed running their own festive Dungeons and Dragons campaign during the holidays, which will be a great chance to role play in a new group of players (always exciting!) and it may just happen to be my Partner’s first glimpse into the world of TTRPGs (even more exciting!). I’m currently formulating character ideas in amongst writing these blogs (and my own campaigns) and if I was a person for New Year Resolutions, then making more time for rolling dice with friends is absolutely one!
Finally, there will be family time. Our families are no strangers to our heavier titles, however over the Christmas period I tend to lean on something simpler so everyone can enjoy together. My recommendations going into this year’s festivities would be Cards vs Gravity, Harmonies and Art Society for a mix of cozy tile placement and party time dexterity gaming, but you can’t go wrong with a game with your loved ones, so experiment and enjoy together! That’s what the holidays are all about!
Merry Christmas to all from me and mine! I can’t wait to hear what else you’re all playing into the New Year!
Climbing Christmas - Favouritefoe
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Well, it is in our home – three dressed trees are upstanding and we have more festive gonks than a Scandinavian tinsel factory. In the warm glow of the fairy lights, our minds are turning to time off, and of course that means gaming!
And what a bevy of brilliant choices we have on the agenda. With guests of different ages and experience visiting, we are sticking to minimal rules, maximum fun games. And first on the list will be the superb Nunatak: The Temple of Ice by Kosmos Games. A wonderful 3D building game incorporating set collection and area majority, watching the structure grow in front of our eyes gives it a table presence to rival any triple roasted bird with all the trimmings!
Moving on to one of our son’s favourite games (and incidentally a present from Santa last year), Stomp the Plank will most certainly be making it to the table. Push your luck, take that and dexterity slide into each other perfectly as your elephant moves closer to dropping into the imaginary sea at the hands of your opponents!
Finally, when our visitors have gone, and our son is tucked up in bed, my husband and I will indulge in our latest cardboard obsession: The Lord of The Rings, Duel For Middle Earth from Asmodee. A two player only game inspired heavily by 7 Wonders Duel, this is an excellent mix of drafting, set collection, area control, and good old fashioned racing. Playing either Sauron pursuing Frodo and pals, or the Fellowship running to reach Mordor, the fate of Middle Earth will be in our hands. A lighter feel than 7WD but for us even more satisfying, this will be the perfect end to any festive fuelled day.
That’s All Folks!
So there we have it. Seven visions of Christmas cheer with gaming in mind. I’m sure you’ll recognise your own celebrations in the recollections.
By the way this feature celebrates a personal milestone as it is my 100th blog for ZATU. I look forward to 2025 when I hope to share another 100 with you.
Happy Christmas one and all!